In the days preceding the 2023 NFL draft, a debate raged regarding whether to take a running back in the top 10 picks of the draft. It hadn’t happened since 2018.
It happened when the Falcons selected Bijan Robinson at No. 8.
On Tuesday, Falcons G.M. Terry Fontonet explained the thought process behind taking Robinson in that spot, during a visit to #PFTPM.
“I think for us, you’ve got to take the position out of it and talk about the player because you might say, ‘Take a premium position, take a corner, take a defensive end,’” Fontenot said. “OK, tell me who the corner is? Tell me who the defensive end is? That’s what matters, is who the particular player is.
“When you talk about a Bijan Robinson, the impact. He’s an impact, offensive player. He’s a playmaker. You look at last year with [receiver] Drake London, we were excited to take him off the board because of -- not because he was a receiver, but because of the impact we believe he’s going to make, as well as [tight end] Kyle Pitts two years ago. We believe we’re taking impact players and we’re taking playmakers, home-run hitters, touchdown-makers, guys that can really impact our total team. We never focus on a particular position. You think positionless football, you just want to take good players that fit the character traits that you’re looking for that are going to make you a better team.”
Robinson joins a roster that includes Tyler Allgeier and Cordarelle Patterson at running back.
“I think to your point, you have to have a clear plan of exactly what you’re going to do and how you’re going to utilize that particular player.” Fontenot said. “That’s what’s fun about [it]. We do really like the players in our running back room, whether we’re talking about Tyler or C.P. and all the different things that they can do. I have a lot of confidence in our coaching staff from our head coach Arthur Smith and our offensive coordinator Dave Ragone. You go all the way down to coaching staff, we have some really smart people in the building and we have clear visions and clear plans for everyone on our roster. When we get excited about a player and know the impact he’s going to make, obviously you factor all those things in, usage and mileage and all those things, but we have a very clear plan and clear vision of how it’s going to all come together.”
Robinson can contribute to the Falcons both as a running back and slot receiver.
“I think he can do a lot of different things and that’s one of the things that when you put on the tape and wherever he is on the field he does, he makes impacts,” Fontenot said. “If he’s at receiver, if he’s in the slot, you’re going to worry about him. You better make sure you have a plan for him. Coordinators have to make sure they have a plan for him or if he’s in the backfield, but when you just go through our players on our roster, we have other players that are the same way. You don’t know where they’re going to line up and exactly what they’re going to do, so that’s the fun part about it.”
With London and Pitts and Allgeier and Patterson, the good news is that defenses will be under extra pressure to stop them. The bad news is that there’s only one ball. How will the Falcons keep everyone happy?
“It’s a great question,” Fontenot said. “We’ve always looked at it like, it’s all about wins, right? That’s the one step that matters. It’s about, what are we going to do to get the win? When you’ve been a part of really good teams and good programs, there’s times that you can win 10 to nothing. And there’s going to be games that you have to outscore the other team, you have to score more points. There’s games where this particular player is gonna have a bunch of catches or a bunch of yards and there’s plays where they aren’t.
“That’s why it’s not just about bringing in players with higher skill sets, but we have to bring in the right types of players. To have a championship team, you have to have championship character, so we want unselfish players. If we go and win a game and this particular player didn’t touch the ball much, he was more of a diversion or he’s going to be excited about that win and vice versa. We’re excited because not only the players we have, but we do believe we have unselfish players that are all about getting the one stat that matters, that win.”
The Falcons got seven of those in 2022 and seven in 2021. This could be the year that they make their move toward serious playoff contention -- especially if Bijan Robinson becomes the playmaker they drafted him to be.
